Means for securing overhead tracks in place



E..I. G. PHILLIPS. MEANS FOR SECURING OVERHEAD TRACKS IN PLACE.

Patented July M, 1922'.

`AIILICATION FILED NOV. I0, 1921.

j FFE ELLIS J. G. PHILLIPS, OF AURORA., ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO RICHARDS-WILCOX MANU- FACTUR-ING COMPANY, OF AURORA, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

MEANS ron sncnanve ovnanniin rasoirs 1N PLACE.

Specicatienrof Letters Patent.

Patented July 11, 19,232.

Application led November 10, 1921. Serial No. 514,251.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, lilLLis J. G. PHILLIPS, a citizen of the' United States, and a resident of Aurora, in the county of Kane and Ccitate of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Means for Secun.

ing Overhead Tracks in Place, of which the following isa specification, Vreference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to improved means for securely holding in position the overhead track upon which run the usual wheeled carriages that have depending from them suitable devicesvfor engaging and sustaining .doors or other objects. It is important in l structures of this character that the track be held very rigidly so that it will noty as a whole be apt to shift even slightly. from the -position in which itV has :been originally placed, and it is equally important that the several sections of which such a track is usually formed shall remain-.in perfect alinevnient in order that the wheeled carriages thatrun thereon shall operate with the least amount of friction and without obstruction or jar at the joints of the track. It is the object of this invention to provide, in conis usually the case..such end portions'will by their frictional engagement Vwith that bracket be held in the required perfecty alinement.

. f jBriefly stated, I attain said object by arranging over the bracket and at some little distance therefrom a pressure member.I which is here shown as a 'liat metal plate.; having downwardly-turned end portions that rest `againstthe top wall ofthe track, andproviding means for forcing said pressure meinber down to cause itssaidturnedend portions to bear on the top of thetrack and thus frictionally hold the track between such end portions and the lower inturned part of` the bracket, said forcing means preferably taking the Vform of a nut on the screw-threaded rod that depends lfrom a suitable arm and supports the said bracket.. That which I believe to be new will be set fort-h in the claims In the drawings: Fig. l is a perspective view of a portion lof a trolleytrack held in suspended position by a screw-threaded rod depending from an arm and-carrying at its lower' end one of the brackets in which the track is located. and showing in connection therewith my imi provements for clamping the track and bracket together.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the parts shown in Fig. l. i

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken substantially on line 3 3 of Fig. 2; and` Fig. iis a cross-section taken on line 4 4 of Fig. 3.

Referring tothe several figures of the drawings,-A indicates an arm which, in the construction here shown, isl formed from a single piece ofV .comparatively wide sheet metal bent upon itself to form two parallel members which at their end portions are rcspectively turned outward at a right angle to vforni attaching ears a adapted to lie against a wall or other support and bel secured thereto by bolts l). Each of the parallel spaced-apart members ofthe arm A is shown as provided near its inner end with .an integral boss c which bosses abut and act y to hold the two members in proper spacedapart relation. Each of said members is also shown as provided with an integral rib (l,

l which ribs act to stiften the armas a whole,

as will be understood.

Located between the siriaced-apart inemliers of the arin A is a screw-threaded rod 5 which is held at any desired point with re spect to saidv arm by means of nuts 6 and 7, which respectively bear against washers 8 and 9 that lie oppositeJ the upper and lower respectivelyof the spaced-apart iueinbersof the arm A. As will be understood, v by having those nuts loosened the rod can be Ashifted to any desired point and then secured firmly in place by tightening the nuts against their respective washers, so as to force such washers tightly into frietional engagement with the edges of the arm.

No claim is here made for the construction lof arm shown, or for suoli arm in combina- ;tion with the rod 5` and. a clamping means for securing it to the arm, as such subject matter will form the basis for a separate application. i'

10 indicates a section of trolley track of Well known form, which is made troni a single piece of sheet metal bent upon` itself to form a top Wall and two parallel side Walls, the latter liaving their lower marginal portions inturned to form parallel rails upon which run the Wheels oit any ordinary loadsupporting carriages, the usual pendents from such carriages extending through the central slot ot the track Vbetween the said rails, as usual.Vv et intervalsthe track will be provided Wit-h supporting brackets 1l which, usual, contorni approximately to the shape of the track, and so conforming to such shape ivill of course have inwardly `turned marginal portions at its lower end upon which the rail portions of the track .10

rest. As, usual` these brackets, yWhile con- ,forming generally tothe lshape of the track 10, Willbe somewhat higher than sucli track, in order to accommodate between the inner tace of the top Wall of the bracket and the outer falce ofthe top Wall ot.' the track a head or enlargcinentot the member that supports the bracket from the arm A or its equivalent. In this instance, ofcourse, tbe screw-threaded rod 5 is such supporting member, and it passes freely. through an unthreaded hole inthe top Wallot the bracket,

and its head above referred to, is indicated 12. The bracketvis prevented fromany turning movement relative to the rod and its'head by any suitable means, such Ameans in the Aconstruction shown being a small rib 13 struck down from the top Wall oit the bracket1 adapted to Alie in contact With the headlQ. ,f

' W'bile the brackets such as l1 Will ordinarily fit snugly `a.,` fainst the sides oic the track, and (will therefore hold the-track as a v'vhole'in approximately proper-position, it is `found that such lit oi the partscannot be relied uponto maintain the several sections ofthe track in that perfect alinenient that is requisite for a periectlysinooth movement of the wheeled carriages that operate in the track. To secure and maintain a morenearly exact ytit Vof the sectionsfot' track one with the other, vand tor holding thetrack asa Whole in the'desired position, .I have provided means orfso bearing dovvnvupontlie track as to yforceits Ainturned rail members into close frictional engagement Witlithe underlying vand, correspondingly inturned meinbers of the brackets, suchineans being preferably duplicated iii. connection, With each of the brackets. The means for thus applying the desired pressure to the trackcomprises, in the y.construction shown, a plate 14;

provided 4centrally with a hole 15, through which loosely ,passes the screw-threaded rod plate had ydownvvardly-turned end 4portions' 16, which at their edglesrest upon tlievtop Wall of the track 10 adjacent to the opposite sides of the bracket, such turned rod adapted to portions 16 being of sufficient length to hold the main or body portion loi theplate at a slight distance above the track f10g/is Vclearly shown Vin Fig. 3. Upon tlie screw-threaded screwed down firmly against the plate or `pressure member Maand when so screwed down will, ot course, cause the turned ends .16ct the plate to bear forcibly against the track, which in turn, as willV be understood. Will torce'the track itselt'into tight trictional engagement .Witli'i the i inturned parts' of the bracket'tliat .lielbeneath Vthe nection with a. bi'a'cket'that receives 'the abut- -ting ends oftwotrack sections, assliown in Figa 3,1 tor vvlieiifso ifise'd'the ,down-turned 'end portions of a pressure device will respectively bearupon tlietiv track sections at points approximately the same distance troniV the joint'between'them', and thepressure will beequailly appliedto those tivo sections, with the result'fthat they will be forced into and held as near perfect alinement as is possible -to attain, and" thus eliminate alniostlwholly the `disadvantages arisfrom a joint' in the track.v l i Y' `What liclaimasmy'invention, and desire to secure Letters Patent 'isn- 1. The ncombin"ation ivitb an overhead track andmeans forfsupporting it in place,

lsaid meanscomprisingr a bracket extending kover and partially beneath thetracln of a .1 i l i o.. l lv pressure member overlying the` upper" Wall oit said bracket and resting upon thetrack,

l and Vmeans "tori `forcing said member. firmly Y t y ,l

ldoW'n' against s aid track.

2. The combination *Witli Ya'n` ,"overhead track and means for supporting` it in place, said `means comprising al bracket partially embracing the track, of a plate overlying the upper Wall of saidbracket, said'plate'bavturned end 'portions that rest upon the track and of a Ilengtliftonormally' hold the plate atvayiroin thetrack,A antlfmeans for forcing said turned` end portions firmly against" the track., 'Q nl" 51' i 3. I na de vic'e'zot the felasslescribed, theV combination with4 a VEvertical screwthreaded supporting rod. a track, 'a bracket connected ivith the iloiver end ot'said'rod andpartially embracing Vsaid l track, of' a plate extending acrosssa'id bracket and having downwardlyturned,endfportions that rest iiponjthe top otsaid and' lhold the""plate"A ata distance from the bracket, anda nut upon said be turned to bear against the plate; 1

thatinafy be locatedinterinediately the i ends of` a y.track section, yet such' improvementswill be foundiof especial value in conlos 4:. In a device of the class described, the combination with an arm, a vertical screwthreaded rod dependingJ therefrom and having a head on its lower end, a bent bracket, through an opening in the upper Wall of which said rod extends, a track in said bracket below the head on said rod, a plate over said bracket, through an opening in which plate said rod also passesl` said plate having downwardly-turned end portions that rest upon the track at opposite sides of the bracket and are of a length t0 normally hold the plate out of contact with the bracket, and a nut on the screw-threaded rod adapted to be turned down against said plate.

5. The combination with an overhead hollow track slotted in its under surface, of a bracket shaped substantially7 like the track but of greater height than the track. a pressure member overlying the upper Wall of the bracket and bearingl upon the track7 a supporting device that extends through both the pressure member and the bracket and has an enlargement on its lower end that is located in the space between the upper portions o'f the track and bracket, and means for forcing` said pressure member firmly against said track to cause the lower portions of the track and bracket to be held in close engagement.

ELLIS J. Gr. PHILLIPS. 

